THAT WAS OUR WEEK
MON March 4
■ Three million viewers tuned in to watch Raye win the most prizes by an artist in a single year at the Brits. The London-born star made history at the O2 arena with her last prize for the album My 21st Century Blues. An average viewership of three million watched the Brits show on ITV1 on Saturday between 8.30pm and 10.50pm. Last year, ITV put the average at 3.3 million viewers.
CHARITIES
Sophie Dow, originally from Stockholm, the founder of an Edinburgh-based charity supporting children and young adults with learning disabilities, has been honoured by the King of Sweden.
TUE March 5
■ Police Scotland is becoming a “reactive service” where the force is only guaranteed to attend at serious incidents, the head of the rank and file officers’ body has warned. David Threadgold, Scottish Police Federation chair, claimed the “basic principles of engagement and proactivity” were being lost and Police Scotland was “becoming irrelevant in our communities”.
ENVIRONMENT
The naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham has been granted permission for a judicial review of the UK government’s decision to reverse some of its green policies.
WED March 6
■ A Palestinian-Ukrainian student living in Edinburgh has said she is “desperate” to get her younger sister evacuated from Gaza as “every second and minute is a threat on her life”. Laila Saliekh, 26, a PhD student studying physics at the University of Edinburgh, said her sister, Katrena Saleh, 24, is stranded and sheltering in a tent in Rafah, southern Gaza.
MUSIC
Stockbridge-raised rock superstar Shirley Manson will play a huge homecoming gig in Edinburgh as part of Garbage’s 2024 UK tour. The band hits the Capital’s Usher Hall on July 14.
THU March 7
■ Italian luxury fashion house Gucci has chosen Edinburgh for its first standalone store outside London. It is taking over two adjoining units in up-market Multrees Walk, close to the new St James Quarter. Together they make up more than 4,700 square metres of retail floorspace. The windows are already displaying the Gucci name, along with the message “opening soon”.
ART
The Edinburgh art gallery formerly known as The Queen’s Gallery is to reopen as The King’s Gallery with the arrival of a new exhibition, Style & Society: Dressing the Georgians.
FRI March 8
■ Opponents of allowing assisted dying in Scotland say proposals for a right to palliative care present a better alternative. The Better Way campaign is against a proposed change in Scottish law to allow assisted dying. LibDem MSP Liam McArthur’s Member’s Bill would give mentally competent adults with a terminal diagnosis the right to end their life if they requested it.
COMMUNITY
Community police officers in East Lothian have launched defibrillator training for S1 pupils at Musselburgh Grammar, encouraging them to be responsible for the wellbeing of others.